


hey there we'll be okay

by adiosnoninos



Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Obsessive Behavior, Stalking, There is a cat, kunil sekc murder, mention of suicide, not really that violent tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-07-18
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:54:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25358764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adiosnoninos/pseuds/adiosnoninos
Summary: He couldn’t stop thinking about Taeil’s smile. To an ordinary student, it passed off as a polite, charming smile. The same smiles other student assistants would put on to hide their irritation.His smile was guarded, barely reaching his eyes - as if he was hiding something.
Relationships: Moon Taeil/Qian Kun
Comments: 7
Kudos: 41





	hey there we'll be okay

**Author's Note:**

> me: it's my birthday what do i post
> 
> brain: kunil murder
> 
> me: you piece of shit i'm in!
> 
> thanks to [junie](https://twitter.com/toeseokkie) and [my wife](https://twitter.com/cadet_meep) for beta-ing!

“If you need anything, ask for Taeil,” one of the seniors advised Kun before running off to class.

Kun stared at the empty space in front of him, dumbfounded; almost everyone in his batch already encountered Taeil. From what he gathered, Taeil is a graduating senior, he is good when it comes to handling tech, and the easiest one to approach. Which brought him to his current problem: He doesn’t know what this Taeil looks like.

He sighed as he slid the papers in a folder. He would hand it over to Jaehyun later.

The glow of freshly-minted college students wore off after his first midterms and he is already dreading finals. College turned out to be harder than he thought. Kun is still a freshman, why does he feel like he’s carrying the weight of a senior? As much as he wants to run back to his mother’s arms in a city three hours away from his college, he can’t. Not right now. So he sucked it up and made his way to the campus café.

The café was small. At its busiest, there’s barely a space to walk around, but that wasn’t the case currently when he arrived. He silently thanked the school saints for the small blessing as he approached the counter. “One large pink lemonade please,” he ordered, looking for any pastry to go with. Between the overpriced sandwich and a sad slice of pizza, he doesn’t have many choices. It’s a quick stop to the 7-11 outside of the campus then.

“Here you go.” 

The student assistant slides him his drink, flashing him a smile. His student ID read: _Moon Taeil, AB Communication Arts._

He almost dropped his drink. Leave it to him to gawk at the pretty student assistant.

The college has its fair share of attractive people, and Kun is no stranger to beauty. Wealth made beauty possible. Wealth made them shine. He is no stranger to witnessing students with clear skin, shiny hair, and blinding smiles.

And their inner, rotten personalities.

He supposed that a pretty packaging can sell even the worst of the products; if one fits the beauty standards, it’s easy to rise to success ─ regardless of their skills, one would always pick the one who is prettier, skills could come later.

Instead of heading back to his spot at the student lounge, he moved to the campus café, occasionally throwing glances at the student-assistant. Like every other student in his department, Taeil is wearing the same white polo and black pants combination: his lanyard hung heavy on his neck with multiple IDs only a freshman can dream of. His hair was parted slightly to the left, his bangs falling right above his eyebrows. Taeil bopped his head to the music playing over the speakers.

Taeil, in short, must have fit the criteria of beauty for the college. He could imagine that outside the campus café, he is surrounded by friends. Being a student assistant must have afforded him some privilege.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Taeil’s smile. To an ordinary student, it passed off as a polite, charming smile. The same smiles other student assistants would put on to hide their irritation.

His smile was guarded, barely reaching his eyes - as if he was hiding something.

When their eyes accidentally meet, Taeil raises an eyebrow at him. A challenge. An offering. Kun dared to smile back before turning away. He felt Taeil’s gaze burn on his back; it lingered even after he left his last class and made it back to his dormitory.

As he flopped down on his bed, his mind wandered back to the encounter. It was his first time meeting the senior and he’s already looking forward to the next time he’ll see him. Taeil is obviously working in the campus café, but Kun has no intentions of driving himself to an early grave with diabetes. Now that he put a face to a name, he longed to see him again.

What is Taeil like outside his shifts? Is he friendly? Is he introverted? Where does he spend his time when not studying or working? How come it was his only encounter with the senior?

Then he remembered: he never saw Taeil when he was a freshman. In fact, he never saw him at all. The entire campus is small. He could get from the main gate to the other side of the campus in less than five minutes. Two if he ran. Despite the campus’ size, their paths never crossed. Fate deemed them ready to meet and boy, he craved for more.

Like a starved man being given the finest morsels, Kun dedicated the memory of that day. He wanted to see Taeil again. He had to see Taeil again.

* * *

As if listening to his prayers, Taeil began popping up in unexpected places. The hidden corner of the library that seemed to be exclusive to communication students. The supposedly haunted corridors of the 4th floor in the main building. The stairwells in the engineering building where the signal is excellent for some strange reasons.

He even joined Taeil in line at the canteen. Taeil ordered a pork tonkatsu and after getting his take out, he disappeared in the crowd. Just like a ghost.

He unconsciously began remembering the places that Taeil frequented. In the morning, Taeil doesn’t have classes so he would help open the campus café. He stayed there until 10:30AM to attend his first class of the day. On Wednesdays, he has 9AM classes for a major. Seniors have fewer classes than anyone else, but according to Yuta - another student assistant - there is a high chance that Taeil is only taking majors right now. Something about having the advantage of summer classes.

Kun also noticed that the campus cats rarely approached him—except for one. The said cat often hung outside the campus café. Taeil would bring them food and the cat would follow him to some classes. Kun found it cute and if he had a photo, it’s his own business.

There are two things that added mystery to Taeil’s character. One, his only social media account is Facebook. His profile looked recent. Several people tagged him in funny posts but Taeil did not post anything that wasn’t academic-related. As he scrolled through, he saw that his last post was years ago; a photo of him posing with a peace sign right next to someone he doesn’t recognize. The post was dated roughly three years ago and it doesn’t have any caption. Not a man of words, then.

Two, Taeil takes Saturday classes. No one in their right mind would willingly take Saturday classes. What’s stranger is that once he finishes his classes, he would head straight to the library and stay for hours until it closed. Either Taeil is really diligent in his studies or is hiding something.

It would be too far if he suspected that the older was hiding something. He sought Sicheng about this, but instead of giving him advice, Sicheng scoffed at him. “You’re not curious. You’re obsessed,”

“No I’m not! I’m just curious!” He defended himself. This is curiosity right? He is not stalking Taeil. He is just curious.

“That’s how it starts. Now can we please stop talking about this? I’m getting uncomfortable.”

Kun reluctantly dropped the topic. They didn’t dare to talk about it again.

* * *

One time, he tried to stay out later than normal. The campus closes at 9PM. He is also curious at how long Taeil stayed in the campus.

One by one, his friends said their goodbyes. He made up an excuse that he is going to mooch off the campus wifi as his own dorm doesn’t have good signal reception. Sicheng and Jaehyun were the last to leave, the latter dragging the other away for dinner. His friend eyed him suspiciously, but once Kun convinced him that he was really going to stay for the wifi, they left.

The clock on his laptop read 6:45PM. He still had hours until the guards made them leave.

At 7PM, he watched the school taekwondo team wrap up their training while the cheerleading team began theirs. At 8PM, he saw some faculty members and staff leave the campus. The library must have closed by then as he saw the head librarian walk towards the gates. At 8:40PM, he finally saw Taeil.

Taeil’s backpack looked heavier than usual. As far as he knew, the seniors would start working on their short films next month. Either Taeil wanted a head start or did something in school today. As he watched Taeil pass by, a cold gust of wind blew past him and he shivered.

Time to pack up then.

Finals loomed overhead, giving him less time to ‘observe’ the older. While he knew the places he frequented, he also knew the places that he didn’t. Kun often went there much to his friends’ confusion. He claimed that he doesn’t want to accidentally distract himself. Amidst his friends’ teasing, he did not miss Sicheng’s narrowed eyes. He ignored it, not wanting to get in another argument with him.

He wished that Sicheng was more understanding. If this was truly an obsession, it would go away eventually. He could go back to being the oh-so responsible sophomore that the freshmen fawned over. A beauty like Taeil’s is difficult to forget and he wanted to keep his sanity as intact as possible.

He is merely appreciating beauty in its candid moments. There is no harm being done. No one gets hurt, he gets to see the current object of his affections. A win-win situation.

Sicheng thought otherwise. “You need to stop stalking Taeil. He’s one of the most reserved people among our seniors,”

Kun glared at him in turn, “Everyone has stalked their crush at some point in their lives. It’s the infatuation,”

“That’s not the infatuation you are speaking of. You’re obsessed.”

_You’re obsessed. You’re obsessed._ Sicheng’s words repeated like a mantra in his head.

“I’m not!” Kun snapped at him.

Sicheng stood up and gathered his things. Without looking at him, he spat “Suit yourself then, stalker.”

Kun is not a stalker. He is not obsessed. He’ll prove Sicheng wrong someday.

(He didn’t realize that Taeil overheard them. A smirk made its way to the older’s face as he walked by.)

* * *

Beauty is wealth. Beauty is power. With beauty, you can acquire the means of getting away with everything. You can be wealthy but ugly. But with beauty, it can be a façade. Everyone will do your bidding as long as you have the face.

He supposed that’s how Taeil got away with overstaying. A pretty boy with big dreams sounded like a success story. Kun dug around a little and discovered several more things about him.

Taeil is wealthy. There is no way those well-ironed shirts and neat appearance could be perfected by a college student. From what he heard, his parents agreed to let him study any course he liked as long as he took over the family business. He did ordinary things with more poise and grace than half of the student body.

Most importantly, he oozed confidence. With light, easy steps and a charming smile thrown in their way, everyone would say that Taeil is approachable. Taeil is the senior who will guide you well.

If he felt brave, he would pass by the classrooms he knew Taeil was in just to get a glimpse of his face. It was a sick source of serotonin boost yet he found himself unable to let go. Sicheng had been partly right: obsessions always started with curiosity. It was the start of his trip down the rabbit hole and frankly, he had no intentions of getting out.

His grades are fine. His social life is fine. Nobody got hurt in the process. This was going to be a harmless crush that would fade with time.

What wouldn’t go away was the coldness he felt around Taeil. Behind the warm façade, he saw how quickly that smile dropped. If he wasn’t an easy-going senior, his face was stoic. Taeil would sit so straight he was almost a marble statue.

Kun liked the façade, but he is sure that this is closer to the real Taeil. Cold, menacing, and secretive. There is no need for pretensions around this Taeil. He would watch the world fall apart on his feet and not care.

The image sent shivers down his spine. Taeil had a role to play and he played it well - s o well he fooled everyone. Kun himself was almost fooled. Taeil could ask him to burn the whole campus along with himself and he would do it with no hesitation.

* * *

Semestral break bored him. With most of his friends going on out-of-town trips or abroad, he was left by himself. He finds himself several pages deep in the campus confession page. Most of them are professions of love. Some of them confessed to having a crush on him or his classmates. A rant about the administration here and there added spice to what he already knew. He couldn’t say he was shocked a professor agreed to sleep with students in exchange for higher grades.

In the middle of his surfing, he found an unusual submission. Judging the amount of likes and comments it received, it trended by the time it was posted.

_The Kim Dongyoung Case_

_I’m a freshman at the college but I can’t believe I managed to witness a murder case. For future students, the admin has swept this case under the rug._

_I don’t want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I believe they are protecting the murderer. I mean, Dongyoung is kind of annoying, but murdering him? That’s just too far. The admin refuses to reveal who the murderer is as well and his case is going to be unsolved for years to come._

_Don’t you think it’s a little fishy that someone willingly killed their classmate? Either they had an extreme grudge against them or were just crazy and had connections to cover up their mistake. How much money did they donate to the school hmmmm those new computers are looking shiny._

_The next time you use the computers on the second floor, remember Kim Dongyoung paid for it hahahahha._

_Coffee Break_

_CLAS – AB CommArts_

“A murder? Interesting,” he mumbled, typing “Kim Dongyoung” in the search bar.

Once the page loaded, he was met with a bunny-looking boy wearing the white Psychology uniform; he recognized several students in the picture.

Lee Taeyong, the Psychology senator. Nakamoto Yuta, the student assistant in the library. Seo Youngho, one of the richest boys on campus who was set to work in his father’s company after graduation.

Foul play was ruled out and the charges against them were dropped. There was no evidence that either of them did it and all of their alibis checked out. A series of investigations ran throughout the school year before declaring the case had gone cold and written off as suicide. The school ordered security cameras on the doors leading to the rooftops so a repeat of the incident wouldn’t happen again.

From the surface, it did look like Dongyoung killed himself. There was a saying that it’s easy to get admitted into the college but difficult to get out. Those with the means can get out mostly unscathed. The comments in the post said the cut-off literally cut off his life. The admin should have more mercy on them as their college is one of the top psychology schools.

_They are protecting the murderer._

Like why should he care? It’s Dongyoung’s fault he died. Kun closed the browser and went back to his show.

* * *

Once the second semester started, the seniors were off to their internships and the juniors ruled the campus. Their workload increased and Kun could no longer follow Taeil around in the shadows. Jaehyun became his classmate in a major subject and both were bemoaning the pile of papers their professors assigned them. “She wants twenty pages? She’s insane!” Jaehyun complained, slumping on the desk. Kun felt bad he couldn’t do much either.

The library was mostly quiet. Save for the occasional whispers and the clacking of the laptop keys, it offered paradise to those who got tired of working in the lounge. Yuta was on duty and occasionally shushed those who spoke a little too loudly. While they ‘worked’ (read: Jaehyun scrolling through Twitter and showing him funny videos while Kun absentmindedly read their assigned readings), a gust of cold wind hit him once more. Kun turned around and spotted Taeil sitting by the windows.

The older one looked peaceful. He was mouthing something, pausing to either highlight or take notes. He sensed that Kun was looking at him and smiled.

Warmth spread through his face and he quickly looked away, hoping Jaehyun did not see him. A jab on his arm and a snicker begged otherwise.

“Taeil huh? I didn’t know you had a crush on him!”

“Shut up!” He hissed.

Jaehyun had a shit-eating grin on his face. Kun wasn’t interested in teasing today. He doesn’t have a crush on the senior. There is a boundary between attraction and curiosity.

“Aw, come on. What if he wants to sit with us and be a helpful senior? Maybe you’ll have a chance!”

“Not in this homophobic institution. Dominicans are bloodhounds when it comes to things like this.” Even if romantic feelings did develop, there was no way he could pursue Taeil. Just because discrimination is not tolerated means they can’t do it behind their backs. Slurs and insults flow as easily as money and booze. Even innocent admiration can be easily called homosexual tendencies or whatever his college wants to preach against. What is the point of having a supposedly “open-minded” environment when the people behind it are backward?

Someone as pretty as Taeil must have gotten confessions from all genders. He has seen them and he did not deny he found most of them shallow. They only liked Taeil because he is pretty.

To him, Taeil deserved more than flowery praises. If it were him, he would be a humble follower.

_You’re obsessed._

* * *

_The Kim Dongyoung Case (2)_

_I’m back with more conspiracies! I hope the page admin lets me post this and the faculty doesn’t start a witch hunt._

_Kim Dongyoung, a 2_ _nd_ _year Psychology student, was murdered in 2016. Before the case blew up, the admin was quick to act and his friends were cleared right away. They even implemented those fancy rules about the rooftop, but it’s not like it won’t stop curious kids from trying to summon Dongyoung’s ghost. Not recommended because I heard from his peers he is annoying as fuck._

_Back to the topic!_

_Ever wonder why we mysteriously got donations? Some of them are anonymous. It’s like they are paying the friars to shut up and keep their clean names while they try to maintain the integrity bullshit. Someone tell the Dominicans it's 2017 - we are now a modern world!_

_Did you know that one of the suspects is the Second Year Representative Moon Taeil? Heard from someone in the student publication they got into a quarrel and few weeks later Dongyoung turned up dead. Even weirder is that Taeil mysteriously disappeared!_

_(Admin Note: Taeil actually contacted dengue at that time. Imagine a guy with an IV attached to him trying to kill a healthy guy. Would make a good idea for scripts not gonna lie.)_

_So why is it that they’re eager to cover up Dongyoung’s death? His family is rich and he has a younger brother in Xavier School. Shouldn’t they be more willing to expose the killer?_

_Stay tuned for more updates!_

_Coffee Break_

_CLAS – AB CommArts_

* * *

Sicheng did not attend class today. They sent him well-wishes first to get well soon. By the time Kun got out of his last class, Jaehyun jogged up to him. “Sicheng’s mother called me. She asked if we’d seen Sicheng since he did not come home yesterday.”

Kun remembered he hung out with the members of the student publication yesterday. Sicheng declined their invitation and said he wanted a headstart on their essay. The essay remained untouched and his parents worried for their only son’s safety.

“Huh? Sicheng hasn’t gone home yet?”

Jaehyun shook his head. “I tried calling him but he can’t be reached. Do you think he’ll come home?”

Sicheng—more like what remained of him, was found a few days later. A street dweller was bothered by the smell coming from an abandoned sack. An inspection revealed his bloodied uniform and chopped up body parts. Rumors started spreading around. Someone claimed that he saw Sicheng an hour before he supposedly died. Someone said it’s because his family refused to offer a sizable “donation” and Sicheng paid the price.

Amidst the chaos, Taeil sat calmly in the campus café. Despite being right in the middle of the campus, it served as a quiet refuge. A space where one can think without others barging in on them. Kun thought that Taeil suited his job well. He remained unbothered despite the wildfire outside.

In Kun’s honest opinion, it can be unnerving. His schoolmates are dying one by one, how is he unaffected? News reports said Dong Sicheng is the fifth among the students from his college to be murdered, the third in the last two years. The school they attended is the only common ground these victims had.

He was so deep in thought he didn’t notice a chair being pulled next to him. Someone slid a cup of red lemonade towards him. “Dong Sicheng’s friend, right?”

Kun jerked at the sound of the voice. Taeil should be in his Intro to Film class, not sitting with some lonely sophomore whose friend just died. He quickly schooled his expression, hiding his surprise. “Yeah. Did you hear?”

Taeil hummed, twirling the plastic knife in his hand. Between them is a slice of overpriced strawberry cheesecake. Minutes passed in awkward silence. Several questions popped in his head right now but none of them made it out of his mouth. Taeil doesn’t seem to be bothered, content with just sitting right next to him.

Kun studied Taeil’s side profile. Gently sloping nose, a strong jawline, and pillowy lips. He wondered how those lips would feel against his.

_“You’re obsessed!”_ Sicheng’s voice echoed in his mind. Did Sicheng really die if his words continued to haunt him.

Taeil is completely unaware of the storm beginning to brew inside him. “I hope you don’t mind that I bought you a strawberry cheesecake. Do you have any classes left?”

There is one, but it’s a general education subject. He supposed it won’t hurt to miss one class, right? As long as he doesn’t skip his majors, he should be fine.

The smile on Taeil’s face was worth the cut. Even if he reluctantly attended his Media Laws class, the energy did not let down. He’ll treasure this encounter with all his heart. One of his classmates commented on how unusually chipper he is for someone whose friend died this week. At the reminder of Sicheng, his mood soured. Leave it to someone to destroy the brief respite he had.

As he doodled on his notebook, he glanced at the window. One of the Psychology students stood outside the door. When he blinked, they disappeared.

His mind raced as he stared at the empty spot. Was that Kim Dongyoung?

“Hey Junhui, is this floor haunted?” He leaned next to his seatmate. Junhui looked up from his phone, “Seniors say so. Isn’t it a little too early?”

The clock on his seatmate’s phone said it was 6:14PM. The sun had already set but there was still a little bit of light left. Too early indeed.

* * *

_Is the Dong Sicheng Case connected to the Kim Dongyoung case?_

_Welcome back to the conspiracy corner of the Freedom Wall! This week, the newest victim is Dong Sicheng, a freshman from College of Business and Accountancy! It looks like the mysterious killer decided they needed variety and poor Sicheng happened to be the target._

_As usual, the admin is still not revealing who killed Dong. Come to think about it, the murderer is most likely still a student in our school! They’re kind of insane and willing to risk their graduation status._

_So after Kim Dongyoung, Park Jihyo was found dead inside the gym. She died the same way as Dongyoung did: Bashed in the head and pushed off from a high place. At that time, Jihyo was the last to leave the dance group practice so the killer took this as an opportunity._

_Isn’t it weird that they failed to point out that all of the victims are from cultural groups? Except for Dongyoung of course. But in his freshman year, Dongyoung joined the singing ensemble so maybe the killer’s type is cultural groups members? Yikes._

_Aside from this one, they’re all rich kids too. More money = more protection? I don’t think their parents will willingly use a student to kill their own kids tho._

_Watch out, cultural kids, you might be next!_

_Coffee Break_

_CLAS – AB CommArts_

* * *

Two months had passed since Sicheng was murdered. Once again, Kun found himself face to face with finals. Nothing in his handouts made sense and he could go for a break right now. His roommate had gone out for dinner and wouldn’t be back until midnight.

While he walked back with a bag of food, he spotted Taeil at the opposite end of the street. _He doesn’t stay at one of the dormitories near the campus, why would he bother hanging around?_

As if his feet had a life of its own, he started following Taeil. He is no stranger to following the older, but this is new. The latter seemed to be aware that someone is following him, taking more turns when the chance appears. Taeil ducked behind a street and by the time Kun reached the place, he disappeared.

His heart pounded loudly against his chest. Right now, he couldn’t believe he willingly followed Taeil. The area is most dangerous at night but the ease in his steps indicated he is just as familiar.

_You’re obsessed. You’re obsessed. You’re obsessed._

“SHUT UP!” He yelled, covering his ears.

_You’re obsessed. You’re obsessed. You’re obsessed._

Kun is NOT obsessed. He is curious and that is final.

Morning came and he sleep-walked towards the exam room. Jaehyun handed him an energy drink the moment he walked in his Media Laws finals. Kun gratefully accepted the drink, taking large gulps. Sleep was difficult to find last night and he tossed and turned. Studying was futile, and he already resigned he might need to retake the class.

“Did you study too hard last night?” 

“Long live Communication Arts,” Kun deadpanned. He slammed down the can with too much force, making himself wince. At that moment, Taeil came in with the test papers. He spotted Kun and gave him a thumbs up before setting down the papers and leaving the classroom. Kun set down his head on the desk, ignoring Jaehyun’s inquiring look.

It’s going to be a long finals week.

After his last exam, he ran out of the exam room whooping in joy. He barely survived sophomore year. While he and his friends talked about partying at someone from Broadcasting’s place, he passed by Taeil in the hallway. He didn’t see him for the rest of the week so he was surprised to see him around. 

Taeil lined up outside the Liberal Arts Department faculty room. Thesis defense already started in their department. As he passed by, tapping Taeil on his shoulder. He wished him good luck on his defense. The older smiled brightly at him, “Thank you. See you at the lounge later!”

“S-See you!”He sputtered, the tips of his ears turning pink.

As they walked out of the building, he glared at Jaehyun who was smiling the whole time. “Don’t even start!” He threatened.

“I’m not the one who scored a date with Taeil! Mingyu is more of my type anyway.” Jaehyun sighed dreamily watching Mingyu pass by. The latter waved at the duo and Kun made a gagging noise. 

“Whatever. See you at Jackson’s condo!”

  
  
  


Kun returned to campus at 3PM. The campus is already deserted, the students eagerly rushing home after a long week. Student assistants and staff members left one by one. By 5PM, it was just him and the cafe cat left. He was in the middle of some made-up game when Taeil walked out of the cafe.

Upon hearing the older, the cat jumped off the table and ran towards him. Kun resisted the urge to take a photo as Taeil picked up the cat and peppered them with kisses. “Louise my baby,” the older cooed.

He wants to die right there. Pun intended. The tooth-rotting sight is making him release all sorts of baby noises. “I see you and Louise are becoming fast friends,” Taeil said, setting down the cat. 

Kun giggled, “Can’t help it. She’s so friendly.” Louise settled down on Taeil’s lap to nap. “So precious…” he whispered, stroking her fur. She let out a contented purr.

Taeil beamed, “I’m her butler now. Well, at least Louise thought so. I’m bringing her home today.”

Handsome, kind, hardworking, and a cat owner. Can’t he get any more perfect? Men in his school wished they were Moon Taeil. Conversation flowed easily between them. Taeil asked how his finals went and gave him tips on how to survive his subjects next year.

Kun wished he met Taeil sooner. It’s a shame this could be the last time he’ll see him. He also wondered why Taeil decided to hang out with him just now. “Hey, do you mind if I asked you something?”

Taeil shifted in his seat, careful not to wake up the sleeping cat, “Sure, what is it?”

“How come I never saw you around until now? Were you that busy?”

The older man gently carried the cat in his arms before standing up. Louise meowed in protest and he shushed her with kisses. “Follow me, will you? Don’t think I haven’t noticed you follow me around like a lost puppy.”

His heart skipped a beat. How-? 

“But don’t worry,” Taeil added, “I don’t mind having a stalker as pretty as you. Am I right puppy?”

He opened and closed his mouth but no sound came out. Kun made sure he was careful. Most of the time, their encounters are mere coincidences. He followed Taeil before but he never expected Taeil to catch on this fast. “Darling, what are you waiting for? Not excited to follow me anymore?” Taeil pouted.

Kun nervously laughed, “I-I was just surprised! Let’s go!” He quickly stood up, much to Taeil’s amusement.

“Don’t worry, I’ll show you something that you’ll be a lucky witness to.” 

Louise got in the pet carrier with no complaints. While Taeil made sure that the cat settled before closing the trunk, Kun sat nervously on the passenger seat. He didn’t expect to catch Taeil’s attention either. Honestly, he wanted to turn back time and tell past Kun to go easy on the “observing”. Taeil is more perceptive than he made it out to be.

What if Taeil turns him to the police? Not likely. He’s a graduating student and can shrug off a stalker. Maybe Taeil knew the one who murdered his friend and would turn him in. 

Goodbye sweet world. At least he got to be with his not-crush for one last time. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the car door opening and Taeil settling in on the driver’s seat. If he wasn’t so disturbed right now, he would probably find Taeil hot. “Nervous?” He asked while adjusting the mirrors.

Hell yeah he is! It’s not every day one gets busted by someone, let alone their crush, for stalking. Taeil doesn’t even look phased. The whole scene looked like he's having first date jitters and Taeil is the unaware party. 

Kun wondered if he should lie. Probably not. 

“Relax,” Taeil reassured him, “you’ll get away with this one.”

  
  
  


In retrospect, he expected Taeil to bring him to where he is staying. He didn’t expect him to bring him to the slums. Taeil killed the engine before grabbing a bag. “Change into this. I’ll wait for you outside,” he instructed before getting out of the car. Not wanting to test his patience, Kun quickly changed into the dark-colored hoodie and put his uniform polo in the bag.

Kun was worried if someone would try to steal from them. His worries were for nothing when Taeil nodded at a burly-looking man. The residents weren’t even phased at the sight of a nice car in front of their shanty homes. “Don’t worry about the car. The people here are very kind.”

“Uh, okay?” He replied meekly.

“Cute. Let’s go, my parents are expecting me for dinner.”

As they navigated the narrow alleyways, he tried to ignore the stares. Taeil, on the other hand, walked with his chin up and even took time to crack jokes. He would wave at some residents and high-fived a child. Eventually, they came to a stop in front of a dilapidated house. Taeil unlocked the gate and ushered him inside.

  
  
  


Once Taeil turned on the lights, the sight before him was gruesome. Old blood was splattered on the walls. Other than a table, a plastic drawer, and a ratty-looking mat, the house was devoid of furniture. Someone was lying down on the blanket.

What he didn’t expect was Taeil kicked whoever was under the blanket. “Get up. It’s time to go.” The person didn’t move, only letting out a pained groan. Taeil, annoyed at the response, started kicking more “You’re just as useless as Dongyoung! Get up and move if you want to live.”

As if someone flipped a switch, Taeil dragged them up by hair. Kun swallowed down a gasp when he realized who the person was.

Lee Taeyong, the president of the Psychology student council.

Taeil wasted no time and dragged them outside the door. Kun couldn’t do anything other than shut the door and followed him.

The other didn’t even bother being careful with Taeyong. He shoved him at the backseat like he was throwing a bag before shutting the door. “Not a word,” he breathed, “or you will be like him.”

A normal person would have ran off and turned him in. But Kun is already in too deep. His only choices now are to follow or join Taeyong. “Tell me what to do then.”

  
  
  


Taeil drove them to another part of the city. There were a lot of abandoned lots and he already had an idea what is about to go down. An hour ago, he was a nervous wreck. Seeing how calm and composed Taeil was gave him some assurance. Taeil was obviously experienced and had gotten away with it.

So what if he is the murderer the university willingly covered up? He had more power in this situation. Kun is already growing dizzy from anticipation. Taeil glanced at him and chuckled, “Excited already pup?”

Kun nodded. The car came to a stop in front of an empty lot. They were an hour out from the city and nobody would realize a crime is happening right in front of them. “Hold on to Taeyong. No matter what he says, don’t listen to him.”

“Yes sir,” he responded. Kun dragged Taeyong in the middle of an empty lot and waited.

“Sicheng would hate you,” Taeyong spat at him. He shrugged, turning towards the direction of Taeil’s car. “That’s on him then.”

“Taeil killed them and had gotten away with it. All because his parents are generous donors to the college and his father is a congressman.”

Not his business then. He’s only here because Taeil told him to be. What is he going to do? Play friend with him? Taeil joined them with tools in his hand, he perked up. He changed from his business attire to an outfit similar to what he is wearing right now. Beside him, Taeyong started trembling. “It’s nice having a puppy don’t you think?” Taeil asked like he was talking about the weather.

“G-Go to hell!”

The older smiled sardonically, “Send my regards to Doyoung then. Kun?”

“Yes?”

Taeil tossed him a baseball bat. He quickly caught it and waited for his instructions. It was laughable. Kun had fallen so low. Who knew his obsession would end up in a violent crime. He didn’t care for the consequences of his actions though. Taeil’s pleased smile in the end as he repeatedly bashed Taeyong’s head is a reward itself.

Nobody will catch them. Not even when the news of Taeyong’s murder broke out and threw the administration in chaos. He watched them sweep it under the rug as quickly as possible. While Taeyong was being lowered to his grave, Taeil stood on the stage as he delivered his graduation address.

  
They will be okay. Nobody would even spare them a second glance. They are just two, bored rich kids.

**Author's Note:**

> comment? kudos?
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/weishenvtaiyi)  
>  [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.qa/adiosnoninos)


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